Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-05-04
RAG CARPETS.

VI -a+i. S rL..'.-l
RAG CARPETS.
"1Edetest the hateful things and shall
have no rag carpets in my house, said
a housekeeper of ten years. experience
some five years ago as she sat poking
with her parasol my heap of many-col-
ored rags which T was perseveringly
trying to cut and sew into smooth car
pct balls. = ..
II a not quite agree with you, Mrs.
Pafe, III think a pretty rag carpet
nicer than a bare floor, and they do
save a sight of work. as our Betsey
says" was my h%esitating reply, as I
then stood in slight awe of the lady,
whose husband was clerk in 'stown,"
the large city near our smaller one and
supposed to shave an easy way of get
ting money"
"Pretty carpets are so cheap, hemp
ones can be had for almost nothing;
you'd better burn up your old rags, for
l know that you don't cut up garments
which can be worn by a poor body"
"Your chain will cost as much as a
hemp carpet; count the cost and see,"
urged my friend, who thought she
knew much on the subject of progress
i've housekeeping, and I thought her
wise, too, yet I kept on with my rag
cutting, and have since then made four
rag carpets, one of which now orna-
menls the floor of a room in an elegant
mansion in town. A pretty rag carpet
is always eagerly bought by some one
who knows the wear in them.
Now that dyes are so cheap it is we'll
to try to have the centre breadths of the
carpet on color. Consult the paper on
your walls, find what will harmonic or
contrast nicely with the surroundings,
then select a color.
A room that We called the sthbrary,"
a very humble little apartment, the
wood work oak, needed a carpet. To
Tighten the room light wall paper was
chosen, and green was the color father
loved, and he haunted the reading-room,
it being a favorite retreat with him.
wasn't SO sure about a green carpet
made of rags being a success, but
Brother Erastus said: Owed try a
compass one; he would buy the dyes if
I'D get the rags and the chain with the
expense of weaving-well, he'd see
what could be done"
For more than one year I had been
sewing ragsin my odd moments. When
an apron wore out, or a stocking or a
handkerchief, it vas torn into strings
and thus my balls were made with
little work or worry.
When dyeing day came. around I had
more than l bargained for, not dream
ingthat my rags had accumulated so
fast, but clothes will wear out, so
dividing into three separate heaps the
wool, silk and cotton rags I prepared
the dye in a large brass kettle, secured
very bright. The vessel must be bright
if a good color is desired. l do not
know why this is so, but rusty or iron
kettles seem to spoil the dyes.
The directions on a ten-cent package
of diamond dye calls for four pounds of
rags, but [ put in one quart more soft
water, added a handful alum and salt,
and made it color six pounds of rags.
choosing darkest green dye.
The rags were clean and had been
soaked all night ina tub of soft water
and colored beautifully, and still the
water was green, showing me that I
could use less dye for six pounds, or
color eight pounds of rags with the
next package by adding the old dye to
the new.
When dry my rags we're not all alike,
of course; the notified and speckled
goods did not color SO well as the plain,
but it looked p~rettier mixed.
After Erastus had measured the floor
and weighed the rags (for one yard Of
carpet it required one and a half pounds
of rags; we figured out tho number of
yards required for the border, which
was darker green and to be woven
three-quarters of a yard wide.
The weaver, a little Englishman, who
lived, as do we, in the suburbs of a big
city, quickly caught our ideas and
bought for u.s., cheaper than we could
have done, the chain, all green and
and quite dark.
We we're to have twenty yards of
carpeting, and the expense, lltold, was
not quite SIS, but the weaver wove it
very, very cheap, charging us only ten
cents per yard, it swas such speedy
work." he said. I am not specially
partial to the color of green, but that
carpet delighted and soothed my eyes
whenever l became tired with using